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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · craft · straw · deal · shower · wound · pitcher · patient

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bear — the animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. shower — rain
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — boats
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com